e
suspicion.

"He is fond of the sister," remarked the Comandante; "and mother too,
for that matter, hag as she is! Still, my dear Roblado, a man likes his
own life better than anything else. Near is the shirt, etcetera. He
knows well that to stay here is to get into our hands some time or
other, and he knows what we'll do with him if he should. Though he has
made some clever escapes, I'll admit, that may not always be his
fortune. The pitcher may go to the well once too often. He's a cunning
rascal--no doubt knows this riddle--and therefore I begin to fear he has
taken himself off,--at least for a long while. He may return again, but
how the deuce are we to sustain this constant espionage? It would weary
down the devil! It will become as tiresome as the siege of Granada was
to the good king Fernando and his warlike spouse of the soiled chemise.
_Por Dios_! I'm sick of it already!"

"Rather than let him escape us," replied Roblado, "I'd wear out my life
at it."

"So I--so I, capitan. Don't fear I have the slightest intention of
dropping our system of vigilance. No--no--look in this face.
_Carajo_!"

And as the speaker reflected upon his spoiled features, the bitterest
scowl passed over them, making them still more hideous.

"And yet," continued Vizcarra, following out the original theme, "it
does not seem natural that he should leave _them_ behind him, even for a
short period, after what has occurred, and after the risk he ran to
recover _her_; does it?"

"No," replied the other, thoughtfully, "no. What I most wonder at is
his not setting off with them the night she got back,--that very
night,--for by the letter he was there upon the spot! But, true, it
takes some time to prepare for a journey across the prairies. He would
never have gone to one of our own settlements--not likely--and to have
travelled elsewhere would have required some preparation for the women
at least; for himself, I believe he is as much at home in the desert as
either the antelope or the prairie wolf. Still with an effort he might
have gone away at that time and taken them along with him. It was bad
management on our part not to send our men down that night."

"I had no fear of his going off, else I should have done so."

"How?--no fear? was it not highly probable?"

"Not in the least," replied Roblado.

"I cannot understand you, my dear capitan. Why not?"

"Because there is a magnet in this valley that held him tigh